{"id":1023,"date":"2019-11-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/headstart-talent-selection-how-neurocognitive-assessments-assist-recruitment\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:26","slug":"headstart-talent-selection-how-neurocognitive-assessments-assist-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/headstart-talent-selection-how-neurocognitive-assessments-assist-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Headstart: Talent Selection – How Neurocognitive Assessments Assist Recruitment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Nov 07, 2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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Category<\/div>\n Human Performance<\/a> <\/div>\n
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In this fifth instalment, Optios explore how neuroscience allows for a more holistic approach to talent identification, recruitment and development.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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An article brought to you in association with our Partners Optios:<\/p>\n

\"Optios<\/p>\n

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Optios, formerly The Platypus Institute is a pioneering leader in the field of maximizing elite-level sports performance based on neurocognitive assessments and has extensive experience working with coaches and athletes. For more information click <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cShow me the money!\u201d is a notorious catchphrase from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire<\/em> that sums up the mercenary negotiations that often occur when recruiting star athletes. <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Cuba Gooding, Jr.\u2019s character in this film refuses to sign a new deal being proposed by a sports agent (played by Tom Cruise) until his contract is worth ten million dollars.<\/p>\n

Scouting and recruiting elite athletes is a highly competitive business with very high stakes. Neurocognitive assessments mitigate the risks associated with placing big bets on draft picks at the professional level or on player acquisitions at colleges, academies, and universities.<\/p>\n

How do neurocognitive assessments work?<\/strong> Neurocognitive assessments monitor brain functions, physiological \u201cfight-or-flight\u201d markers, and behavioral responses to a variety of stimuli. These tests establish baselines for a wide range of brain functions using EEG monitoring devices that can be viewed in real-time on 3-D brain maps. These assessments also have a psychometric component that gauges behavioral traits and creates a psychological profile.<\/p>\n

What does a neurocognitive assessment measure?<\/strong> Neuro assessments measure a broad spectrum of cognitive and neurophysiological baselines. These include reaction time, information processing speed, emotional reactivity, stress responses, resilience, visual processing speed, time “in the zone,\u201d ability to think outside the box, learning speed, working memory, and overall cognitive capacity. Neurocognitive assessments can also use algorithms to identify individual brain signatures that are more likely to synchronize collectively with other team players on a neural level.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations at both the collegiate and professional level invest substantial resources and dollars into evaluating new talent on a yearly basis and have historically relied heavily on physical and character assessments to determine fit,\u201d Tom Nugent<\/a> of Optios said in a recent interview. \u201cWe can work closely with scouts and front office management to create a more holistic approach to talent identification by layering the cognitive element to their process. By having a more comprehensive understanding of the athletes, teams can potentially save millions by not overreaching on potential high-level busts, but also reap the benefit in identifying diamonds in the rough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the 1990s, the average NBA salary was under a million dollars, and only a handful of players earned more than $3 million annually. This year, over 200 NBA players will earn upwards of $5 million. Stephen Curry\u2019s annual salary for 2019\/2020 is $40 million.<\/p>\n

The domino effect of making a colossal investment in one star athlete who gets sidelined is in the headlines this basketball season due to Curry\u2019s late-October hand injury that required hours of surgery and put him out of commission for at least three months<\/a>. His team, the Golden State Warriors, need a deeper bench to fill in the All-Star gaps of their starting lineup now that their Most Valuable Player won\u2019t be back in action until next year. This comes on top of having lost Klay Thompson to injury from last year\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

Having Curry sidelined four games into the 2019-20 season is a major blow to his team\u2019s chances of reaching the playoffs. Now, the Warriors are scrambling to minimize the negative ripple-effects associated with losing their MVP.<\/p>\n

The key to minimizing the Warriors\u2019 fiscal losses will be for team managers and coaches to identify which young players are worth keeping and who they should sell. As NBA reporter, Mark Medina, summed up: \u201cSo the Warriors will have to figure out which pending free agents are worth keeping and at what price. Then, they will calculate whether any of their young assets could be part of a future trade package.\u201d<\/p>\n

Optios\u2019 neurocognitive assessments can also identify undervalued talent among second draft picks. According to an article<\/a> by Matt Korman, the odds of picking a \u2018diamond in the rough\u2019 who becomes a successful second rounder (e.g., Draymond Green who was the 35th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft and became a three-time All-Star and All-NBA player) are only around 2.4 percent.<\/p>\n